Your Forgotten Promise
by FlamingDranzer
Summary: People aren't perfect, no matter how much Squall believes he is. One mistake cost his life. Mentioning of SquallxYuffie


**Your Forgotten Promise**

Yeah, I should be working on my other stuff, but I got this idea and it won't let me alone.

Warnings: I recommend this for mature persons above 16 years of age. This fanfiction deals with torture and may contain disturbing images to some people.

Disclaimer: I don't own Leon/Squall, or Yuffie, or Aerith, or Cloud. The only thing I own is the plot.

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On those rainy nights at Radiant Garden, I began to think about the time I had wasted in Traverse Town, about the time that I wasted wearing myself away in despair. Now, with the Heartless gone and the restoration slowing down due to the winter that draws inevitably nearer and near, I have found time to think.

At first, I thought about why things had turned out the way they are. The subject began to bore me, and my mind began to drift into an oblivion that they call "daydreaming".

I admit, it is something a teenager does for many minutes, possibly hours, of their day. I would daydream for hours on end. At first, they were innocent. I dreamt that I was the hero, saving Radiant Garden from the Heartless. My mind began to constantly grow darker and darker, no longer remaining innocent. Before long, I was daydreaming of inflicting severe harm on people, people that I loved.

And not long after that...temptation began to take over my body.

I could not help but see them, those people that I loved so dearly, covered in their own crimson blood, clothes torn to pieces, their eyes broken. Aerith had once caught me daydreaming.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.  
"I'm fine," said I, even though inside I wanted to see her with her intestines hanging out of her body; her limbs mutilated and amputated.

The time of cheer had arrived - Christmas time, as Yuffie said. I remembered telling stories to Yuffie when she was little about how a man by the name of Santa Claus would leave presents for all of the good people in the world.

That thought brought billions of others to my head. Haven't I been a good person? I restored Radiant Garden, fought against Heartless and sacrificed my own life and well-being for that of the peoples. That thought led me to believe that I deserved a gift. Not just any gift, mind you. But a gift that I had desperately wanted and strived for.

The gift of being able to inflict pain on those that I held dear.

Now that my mind was set, who would I take? Who angered me the most? The answer was clear...

Yuffie Kisaragi was the source of my anger.

"Hey, Squally!" she yelled excitedly, running up to me on late Christmas Eve. "Did you do your shopping yet?"

Inside, I smirked and laughed evilly. Yes, I have completed the act of shopping. Knives, blow torches, drills, and every other instrument that could cause major bodily harm.

Outside, I shrugged.   
"How could you not know? Men..." she muttered.

There was a silence between us, the silence that two companions could share comfortably. Usually, Yuffie was the one to break this silence, but it was my turn to speak.

"Yuffie...do you want to come to my house?"

She blinked three times, trying to see if her ears decieved her. Answering the unspoken question, I said, "Yes, I did just say that."

She blinked again before nodding.

My mind's mental demons were throwing a party as of now. Yuffie was almost eating out of my hand.

I had planned this idea out since the second it happened to flutter into my train of thoughts. I would lure Yuffie to a place outside of town on Christmas Eve. I would say that we were going to my house. No police officer would stop me. People would give me looks, trying to adjust to the strange sight, but no one would suspect me of hurting the hyper ninja. After all, I was the one who saved them multiple times and even went as far as to provide a home for them to live comfortably.

I began to walk off, Yuffie following at my heels.  
"Squall, why are we going this way?"  
"It's Leon, and I just wanted some more fresh air before I went back."

It was a plausible excuse for her. I lived in a very crowded section of the Radiant Garden. She could understand why I would want some fresh air before going back to that horrible place.

"...Would you like to go somewhere special?" I asked her.  
She nodded again. "Sure, Squally!"  
"...It's Leon."

I led her to the castle. At first, she thought I was pulling her leg. When we got to the basement levels, deep underground so no one would hear her scream for mercy and help, her opinion had completely changed.

"I didn't know there were basement levels!" she remarked. I smirked.  
"There's one room that you would like."  
"Take me to it!" she demanded.

I decided to listen to her for once, and quickened my pace. The once wide halls of the basement levels had narrowed considerably. They were only wide enough for once of us to walk in front. I, being the leader, took the front. Yuffie followed on my heels close behind. I heard how her shoes made soft, tapping noises on the ground, whereas my boots, old and worn, made none at all.

"Well, here it is," I said, pointing to the room ahead of me. She peered into the darkness and saw a small torch lighting up that faraway room. I pushed myself against the wall so she could run ahead and fall into my trap.

Apparently, she thought I was just being courteous as she pushed her way past me, running into the darkness ahead. It's ironic, really. People say that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. But for dear Yuffie, however, there is the complete opposite.

There was a clang, snap, and a piercing scream that echoed down the halls. I smirked, casually striding my way into the room. There was Yuffie, leg caught in a trap made for hunting bears and other animals of the sort. "Squall!" she gasped.  
"..."

"Why are you standing there! Help me!"  
"..."

I remained silent, taking in the sound of her pleading voice. 

"Squall?"

I closed the doors to the small room and lit up several more torches. Soon, the place was glowing with the crimson and orange that the fires cast.

"Haven't you ever heard the legend of a young boy named Squall?"  
Yuffie thought. It wasn't necessarily an old legend, but she took some time to remember it. "Oh! Yeah! He killed his victims. Now can you let me out of here?"  
I chuckled darkly. "Hasn't ever occured to you that him and I have the same first name?"  
It was her turn to remain silent.

I walked towards her until our faces were barely an inch apart.  
"I am that boy."

She gasped, trying to step backwards to escape, but her caught leg was holding her back. I grabbed her wrists, and pulled her towards me. Her head connected with my chest as her eyes, wide with fear, stared up at me.  
"And you know, you're my next victim."

She screamed again. It was the most beautiful sound that I have heard in a long, long time. I chuckled, thoroughly enjoying myself.

I turned around as the scream quieted and leaned against a wall. I knew that the shadows from the fire cast an eerie glow on my face, but her fear was my pleasure.

"Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Squall. He wanted to be a hero, to be the strongest person in the world. There was another young boy, named Vincent. Vincent was dark for his age, tainted by horrible sights. One night Squall led Vincent to the deepest and darkest parts of the basement levels in the castle. Poor little Vincent...the only one that heard his cries for mercy was Squall."

I walked towards her slowly, enjoying the moment. The fear was frozen onto her face. For a split second, my mind seemed to contradict my actions.

Was this what I really wanted?

I pushed the thought out of my head as I headed to a small indent in the wall. Yuffie's eyes widened considerably when she saw my object of choice - a sharp, gleaming knife with the intent of inflicting harsh pain upon whoever dared to touch its blade.

"Yuffie, you've been cut by my Gunblade before. Remember when you were a little kid, and you were messing around with it? You dropped it and cut open your palm. Nothing hurts worse than a Gunblade wound."

Yuffie begged to differ as I dragged the blade against the skin of her arm, slowly, torturingly. I saw the skin rip away before my very eyes. I saw crimson liquid seep out of the wound. Inside, something wild was emerging. Something about blood.

Blood.

She inhaled sharply as my teeth sunk into her neck. Blood gushed into my mouth. It was salty and hot, perfect for my tastebuds which hated sweet-tasting items.

I pulled away, some of her blood running in a small stream from the corner of my mouth.

"Squall...please stop. This isn't you."  
"Yes, it is me. Remember when you asked me what I wanted for Christmas?"

I turned around on my heel, heading back to small indent in the wall. I replaced the knife, and in its place, took out some shurikens.

I loved the look on Yuffie's face when she realized that these were her shurikens that were to be causing her pain. My conscious began to speak again. You love her, it told me. You want to stop.

But, truly, I didn't.

I kicked her in the stomach, using the time created by shock to quickly undo the trap. I pushed her against the wall quickly, chains locking around her ankles and wrists. Her wrists were chained the wall above, causing them to stretch slightly. Her ankles had no more room for movement; she might as well have been immobile. She looked like a magnificent eagle in a woman's skin.

"I've never had a chance to practice with shurikens," I noted, getting a feel for their weight. "I wonder if I can hit my target by blind luck."

On the word "luck", I spun around and threw a shuriken. The said weapon eagerly buried itself in her arm. Yuffie screamed in pain. While she was busying herself with that, I threw more shurikens at her bleeding body. All of them hit their mark, but one in particular stook out - one was buried in her torso.

I grinned, walking over with almost unheard-of grace. "Squall...please..."  
"Please what?" I joked.  
"Just stop."  
"I wanted this for a long time, Yuffie. Unfortunately, there are still some tricks up my sleeve."  
Yuffie whimpered like a dog, and I laughed in response.

I pulled a small pocketknife out of my pocket (how ironic, my mind told me). "Squall -"

I cut her off by placing the knife's cool, sharp blade to her throat. "Not another word, Yuffie. A scream or two would be fine."  
Her eyes widened with fear at my intentions, I noted. I chuckled, teasing her by moving the blade lower and lower. It eventually reached a destination - to the spot where a shuriken had buried itself in her torso.

Eagerly, I ripped out the shuriken, ignoring the blood that seemed to paint my hands an unnatural color of crimson. The said liquid seeped beneath my fingernails, burrying itself into its new home.

I placed the knife at the once-again bleeding wound and I looked her in the eyes. Her eyes were sumerged in fear; her pupils were large as a result. But she dare not speak. Perhaps she thought that if she was quiet, she would get a chance to escape.

But why would I let my victim escape to spill the secrets that should only be spoken inside of this dark, crimson-stained chamber?

The knife slowly made its way into her body, piercing through the skin. I heard the sound of her flesh ripped. I saw crimson stain the blade, my hands, and everything else. It was as if my world was being painted crimson, but oddly enough, I was thoroughly enjoying the experience.

My self-control suddenly snapped. I began brutally stabbing her with the knife, tearing her torso apart. Her eyes were glazed over wtih pain. Pain that I caused. The thought gave me another rush of power, allowing me to rip off the skin that concealed her vital organs.

She looked at me, tears streaking down her face. I used the knife to cut a tunnel of the intestine in two. I grabbed the said organ with both hands, and I tugged. She screamed and screamed as I ripped the intestines out from her body.

Before I knew it, a large section of dark-blue intestines lay by my old leather boots. I looked in her in the eye for the last time as I used the knife to pierce through her heart.

I saw her die before my very eyes. Her body went limp and looked just as fragile as valuable china that is reserved for use on special occasions. I undid the chains, watching as she fell to the floor. Her blood painted it crimson as I nudged her body with my foot, making sure that she was really dead. I will not take any chances. The legend of Squall Leonhart must be reserved.

I began to walk out of the room in a high, leaving behind all of the devices I used for her torture. I looked at her body once last time, engraving the image into my memory, before I shut the door behind me.

I retraced my path that had taken me to the basement, carefully navigating the dark halls. I eventually arrived at the castle's upper levels, which I once again took advantage of. I used the fresh water to cleanse myself of Yuffie's blood. I looked up and saw myself in the mirror. I saw my stormy blue-gray eyes, and they appeared to have guilt buried within their depths. Slowly, the events of the night began to invade my senses.

Perhaps, I made the wrong choice.

In anger, I punched the mirror, causing it to shatter in millions of sharp, tiny pieces. Taking in sharp breaths, I left to go back to my house for a good night's rest.

I awoke in the early morning hours, 5 a.m. to be precise. I walked slowly into my living room and turned on the television. The hottest news story had captured my attention.

"Yuffie Kisargi, a member of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, has seemingly disappeared," the reporter said. "There are no leads available, and any would be appreciated by the police force."

I smirked. Surely, they would never catch me. I was innocent, a leader, in their eyes. I would do no harm...or so they thought.

I walked over to Aerith's house that morning to find her morning over Yuffie's disappearance. "She'll come back," I told Aerith. "She did this before."  
Aerith sobbed into my shoulder.

It was a week after Christmas that my fears had come true. Someone had found Yuffie's body! I didn't know how they managed to accomplish the task, but I did know I had to pretend that everything was perfect.

The day of Yuffie's funeral came. Everything was silent and filled with depression. Aerith sobbed on Cloud's shoulder; both of the said people were extremely close to Yuffie.  
"Who would do this?" Aerith sobbed.

"The culprit is here!" a man's voice had broken the silence. I paled slightly, but I tried to hide it as best as I could. My fear only grew as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around only to find myself face-to-face with the head of the police force.  
"Mr. Squall Leonhart, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent."

The instinct of fight-or-flight took over my body, causing me to react in a very bad way. Instead of pleading my innocence, I summoned my Gunblade and began to ruthlessly attack the police officier. I heard several gunshots, followed by a burning pain in my chest. I fell to the ground, my face towards the sky. I knew, that yes, my death was drawing nearer. I closed my eyes, feeling the rain hit my face.

"I'm sorry...Yuffie..."  
"No problem Squallie!" Was that Yuffie's voice? "I remember your promise."

My...promise? My life seemed to flash before my eyes, but it seemed to linger longer on a day that I was 17.

I remembered now. Yuffie and I had been dating, thanks to Aerith and Cloud. One cold night, Yuffie grabbed my hand and asked, "Will you love me forever?"  
"Yeah," I responded, hugging her tighter.

I couldn't remember why I forgot that promise, but I had broken it, at least in my eyes.

She wasn't just another victim of mine anymore. She was someone that I loved. And I knew without a doubt, that I had sinned.

But you know what some people say - "Death can change a man in many ways."

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If you don't understand the ending, Squall loved Yuffie but forgot why, and the fact that he forgot that promise allowed Squall to torture Yuffie because he didn't remember that she was a person that he swore he would never hurt. So if he remembered his promise, he would have never hurt Yuffie.

Thanks for reading this, any reviews would be appreciated!


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